Tiana- Oh no! Aria!

RCM- Relax, she told you to stay here. She banished that demon before, she can do it again.

Tiana- But…

RCM- No. Unless you want to get yourself hurt, you are staying here.

Sol- What about Anri?

RCM- You don't honestly think I wouldn't teach her magic to defend herself do you? She knows Inferno and a number of other fire spells.

Tiana- That's because you specialize in Fire magic, right?

RCM- Exactly. If you still really want to go help her, I will teach you some before you leave. In the meantime, let's get this chapter up. Sol, are we ready?

Sol- Yes sir.

RCM- Good. Tiana?

Tiana- Red Chaos Mage doesn't own any of the numerous concepts readers may recognize.

RCM- In this episode, fate deals the Protectors a very twisted hand, and Lance must make a choice testing the very fiber of his spirit. Read on, my friends. Tiana, if you would come with me…

Chapter 12

An Unlikely Alliance

"I still can't believe you two ate that much." Tikal said as they reached the end of the trees. "Lance, don't you feel sick?"

Hugh laughed. "If there's one thing we can't get enough of, it's food. Even so, Lance never could stomach as much as me."

Link rolled his eyes. "Do you two EVER stop competing?"

The pair smiled at him as innocently as possible. "Nope."

"Never."

"Oh brother…" Looking down the road, Elric spotted their destination. "Hey, I can see the town. We're almost there."

Creed was more of a campsite than a full-fledged town, though the settlement had been there for ages. Since the lupine race were born hunters, they chose to live like the wilds, their most modern abode being the occasional human-crafted tent. As they approached, one of the wolf-like residents greeted them. "Welcome strangers... Well bless me furry bones, Elric is that you? Aye! Aye, it is! Came all the way from Toluin did ye? Well come in! Stay a spell."

Elric shook the Forest Clanner's hand. "It's great to see you again, Kazin. Do you know where I can find Rindo? King Toluin sent us to him for some information."

"Aye, lad. He should be in the blue tent out yonder with a prisoner. Quite a mean fella, that one. Refused all courtesies and won't answer questions. It be best ye watch yaself around him. I fear 'tis an evil creature." Thanking Kazin, the warriors made their way to the designated tent.

Lance entered first, feeling an ice cold chill run up his spine as he did. The world around him seemed to crash as he laid eyes on the prisoner. Shackled in heavy chains on the floor sat a black humanoid warrior adorned in jet-black armor and a torn black cape. Link's gasp of shock from behind him brought the creature's blazing blue eyes up from the floor. "That's not possible… a Phantom Ganon? Here?"

"That's a Darkman…" Lance said, his voice barely audible. "The most evil creatures of this realm, leaders in the ancient wars against the forces of Light…"

Hugh came in a few seconds later, alarm flashing in his eyes as he saw the prisoner. "Ooooh boy… Uh, Lance, are you sure you want to be in here? I mean, do you need to step outside, get some air?" Link looked at the warrior in confusion. What was Hugh doing?

"No… no, Hugh… I'll be fine. He's not the one…"

"What's 'not the one'? What's going on?" Elric asked.

"Lance's father, Isaac, was killed three years ago by a Darkman with blood-red eyes… it really hit Lance hard, he was never really the same since…"

"Isaac, you say?" The dark form spoke, startling everyone in the room. "Isaac… Aran perhaps?" The entire party tensed, feeling an intense urge to grab their weapons. "Which makes you young Lance Aran, doesn't it…? Yes… I've heard of you… And then you must be Hugh Connor?"

The dark haired boy fingered the hilt of his sword. "What's it to you?"

"It is well known among my clan that the Chaos Crystal Seal is in the process of being shattered, and that Light warriors will be collecting the shards to prevent it. Our information tells us that you have already secured the Chaos Elemental Shard of Fire. It has confirmed the fears of the Dark Lords. You will try to stop the emergence of Chaos."

Link's eyes narrowed. "Wait, are you saying that these guys actually want to destroy everything? Do they realize that if they let Chaos loose…"

"All life will cease to exist, yes. However, my… former Masters are under the foolish impression that they have a way to harness all of the immense power of the entity. Why they can't see the truth is beyond my comprehension…"

Elric loosely held an arrow in his fingers, ready to launch it at the slightest false move by the speaker. "What do you mean 'former Masters?'"

The crystal blue eyes did not blink, but fell to the floor. "I… have been exiled from the clan. I refused to carry out the execution of an innocent who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The three who lead our tribe stripped me of my powers, my rank, even my identity. To speak my old name is a crime now, unless it is in the process of killing me. I have been reduced to nothing, a shadow… Had I all of my powers, these hunters would not have captured me…"

"Shadow…" Lance withdrew his hand from his sword's hilt, kneeling to get a better look at the Darkman. "So, 'Shadow'… What do you know about the Legends of Chaos?"

The creature looked up into Lance's eyes, expecting to see the tension and hatred forged by the boy's history with his clan. However, the glimmer of forgiving pity that also resided in the blonde human's eyes surprised the Darkman. 'I suppose I should…What do I have to lose…?' He took a deep breath before answering. "The legends speak of a band of warriors, mostly Light with a select few of Dark, combining their forces to seal away the evil known only as Chaos. Once that task was completed, the six basic elements were scattered, two in each of the three continents. The ruling seventh sleeps in one of the Towers of the Gods. Whether it is the Tower of the Sun or the Tower of the Moon, I know not."

At that point, the missing leader of the Forest Clan returned from whatever errand he was running. "Oh! Well I'll be a new pup's chew toy!" Rindo exclaimed in surprise, startling Tikal. As it turned out, he had popped up right behind her. "You got the prisoner to talk to ye? Quite an accomplishment, that! Silent for hours, he was, ne'er sayin' a word to nobody. Even refused our sustenance. You folks ever turn down a good meal before? Quite rude, I say! Elric! How the blazes are ye?"

Lance turned and motioned for the excited wolfman to quiet down. "Please, I need to hear this. Shadow?"

Acknowledging that the human had given him a new name, Shadow continued. "The elements hidden in Telonia are those of Fire and Wind. Since you have Fire already, I assume you are now headed east to find Wind. On the seas near Gohdan lies the Water Shard in the Island Shrine. The Eastern Continent's second shard is the Element of Earth, sleeping deep below ground in the Temple of Mines. The element of Thunder rests on the edge of the Kepura Desert, and Wood is hidden in the depths of Deathmire Swamp. I have been to both regions of Makai, and can tell you that they are not kind to the weak."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Hugh asked.

"I am a marked man. The Dark Lords have sentenced me to death so that I never get the opportunity to aid the Chosen Ones… or to join them…"

The entire party fiercely recoiled at that last comment. "What?!"

"No way…"

"A Darkman is the Second Unseen?!"

"You're lying!"

"No." Shadow's voice was low, but none could mistake the seriousness in it. "A legend roams the harsh lands of Makai… a legend of a betrayal that leads to the convergence of Light on the Infinite Gate. By our laws, protecting an innocent is paramount to high treason. Even your customs must recognize the betrayal of treason… I am the first Darkman to spare a life in five millennia… The Dark Lords fear that I am the one from that legend…"

Lance examined the cold eyes of Shadow, wondering what he should do. Though his common sense screamed the alternative, his heart made the move anyway. "Let him go."

"What?! Lance?!"

"You can't possibly be serious!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Lance, you of all people…"

"I SAID LET HIM GO!" The protests falling silent, Lance turned to the stunned Darkman and gave him a poisonous glare. "Alright, I believe you. You can join us for the time being and lead us to where the remaining shards sleep, but I swear if you betray us in any way, shape or form, I will personally shred your ass into little flaming pieces. Understand?"

Shadow smirked, shaking his head as Rindo reluctantly unlocked his bonds. "Trust me, Aran…" He said, rubbing where the shackle had encased his wrist, "You would only be doing me a favor."

Closing his eyes, Lance tried to relax a little. After a deep breath, he turned to Rindo again, calmly asking for what they came for. "So Rindo, what can you tell us about the Shadin Mountain Range?"

End Chapter 12

Tiana- Oh my… they're really going to let him join? What was Lance thinking?

RCM- You must have faith, little one. Shadow will prove himself to be the 'Second Unseen,' as Elric put it, in due time.

Sol- For those of you who were wondering, the order of outbursts when Lance made his decision was Tikal first, followed by Link, then Elric, and finally Hugh.

RCM- Thank you Sol. Now Tiana, I've taught you Inferno, Flame Tower and Fire Shield. Are you absolutely sure you wish to return?

Tiana- I'm far beyond sure. I need to help Aria.

RCM- Very well… Though I do advise against this, I will not prevent you from making this decision. Be careful. And good luck, child.

Tiana- Bye! (vanishes)

Sol- Will she be alright?

RCM- Yes, I'm sure of it. Anri knows those spells and more, so with her help…

Sol- I still think you should've at least sent her with one of your dragons.

RCM- Solaris, they will be fine. Trust me. Now, I need you to help me prepare the next installment. Where did you put the map?

Sol- I left it on the table like you wanted.

RCM- Good. Let's see… (opens the map, studying it) Yes, that will work fine. Okay, Sol. We're ready to begin. Come.

Sol- Yes sir. Bye everyone! It should be ready by tomorrow.

RCM- Sol, you know not to make promises we don't know if we can keep.

Sol- But it should be.

RCM- Solaris.

Sol- Okay, okay, I'm coming. We'll get the next chapter up as soon as we finish it.

RCM- Much better. Let's go.